Keep pretending! Be careful not to exhaust yourself! Lan Ling’er laughed: “I hope we can see the sunrise again next snowy day! Orphanage mother, Ling’er is praying for you!” She closed her eyes, clasped her hands, and silently prayed.
“What are you doing?” He struggled to keep up with her.
“Nothing! After the sunrise, let’s go home! I’m so hungry!” Cheerfully patting her stomach, she pulled his sleeve and walked down the mountain. Watching the sunrise and praying had become part of her routine.
“Why did you bring me to see the sunrise?” Throughout his life, he had never seen one, thinking it a waste of time. But now, his heart was shaken. The sunrise was beautiful, especially during snowfall—everything felt pure and inviolable.
Get up quickly! Does it hurt? Take this money and hurry to buy some medicine for your mother! Keep the money safe!” Helping the boy up, Lan Ling’er sighed, realizing even a young child understands the importance of gratitude. The world is filled with both sarcasm and warmth.
The boy smiled, wiped away his tears, and ran off.
“Why didn’t you adopt him?” Dong Fang Ce, who had seen everything, approached and mocked her.
“Do you think I don’t want to? Are you heartless? Hmph!” That despicable Dong Fang Ce mocks me! If he looks down on me, why did he marry me? Does he think I, Lan Ling’er, am stupid?
Raising her foot, she “accidentally” stepped on his foot, then exclaimed, “Oh my! Did I just step on something hard?” She turned and ran away, laughing.
The sunlight on a snowy afternoon seemed particularly bright, slowly squeezing out from the clouds and reflecting on the snowflakes.
“Where is the princess?” Having just returned from court, he wanted to give her a small surprise, but after searching every corner of the royal residence, he couldn’t find her playful figure.
Since she moved into the residence, the title of “princess” had naturally fallen on her—after all, she would be his eventually!
“Your Highness! The princess has gone missing!” Lan Ling’er’s maid, Xiao Hong, knelt, trembling. Today promised to be a disaster.
“How could the princess go missing? Didn’t I tell you to watch her carefully? Go and receive fifty lashes!” These people couldn’t even oversee a princess. It seemed he needed to restore order.
“Your Highness, spare me! In this cold weather, even a slight injury could be severe. Fifty lashes would surely send me to the King of Hell!” Xiao Hong cried.
“Do I need to personally take you there?” Dong Fang Ce kicked Xiao Hong, his face full of anger.
“Your Highness! Xier has returned!” The residence had been engulfed in grief. The old steward rushed in, his face pale. Having followed the prince for so long, he had never seen him this angry. This princess must be very important to him.
“Xier? Where is she?” she was Lan Ling’er’s closest maid. If the princess was missing, she would know her whereabouts.
“Your Highness, Xier is injured and is currently in the main hall, urgently wanting to see you. It seems quite serious!” The old steward spoke loudly, maintaining a respectful distance.
Injured? Could something have happened to that girl?
Pushing aside the kneeling Xiao Hong, Dong Fang Ce quickly walked toward the hall.
“Xier, where is the princess?” His cold voice echoed before he entered.
Everyone cleared a path, afraid of the prince’s wrath, except for Xiao Shen, who tended to Xier’s wounds.
“Your Highness, I am incompetent. The princess has been kidnapped!” Xier knelt on the ground and cried, knowing she might face death upon return but believing her sacrifice was for the princess.
Meanwhile, Lan Ling’er slowly opened her eyes, feeling disoriented and smelling a slight rotting odor.
“Where is this place?” Her voice was hoarse as she took in her surroundings. Supporting herself against the wall, she stood up.
“Miss, you’re awake! Here, have some water!” A girl around her age approached her with a bowl of water.
“Thank you! May I ask where this is?” Lan Ling’er took the cold water and felt chills throughout her body.
She quickly sat down on a pile of firewood and spoke to the delicate woman in front of her.
“This is a small house in the countryside, a liaison point for bandits!” The woman sighed, sitting next to Lan Ling’er, her face filled with helplessness.
“A bandit liaison point? Do you mean I’ve been kidnapped?” This was her first kidnapping, which somehow seemed amusing.
“Miss, why are you laughing?” Only she could laugh after being kidnapped! The other girls were miserable and weeping.
“Nothing! Why are there so many girls here? Those bandits aren’t planning to sell people, are they?” She’d discovered their hideout quickly—quite clever of her!
“Yes, they’re all here because of that flower! We were too fascinated by it, leading us into this trap!” The girl sighed, deflating like a punctured balloon, lying weakly on the straw pile.
“Those flowers? They’re just drugged! In this cold weather, could you really believe such beautiful flowers could bloom?” Lan Ling’er stood up, pointing at the weeping girls and scolding them.
“Aren’t you also someone who loves beauty? Weren’t you also caught like us?” A girl stood up, pointing at Lan Ling’er defiantly.
“I deliberately let them catch me to save you all.”
Did you think I was truly stupid? If I couldn’t see through such a small trick, how could I survive in this world? These ordinary people—how pitiful compared to her genius! If she hadn’t heard locals discussing women disappearing daily, connected to a mysterious flower, she wouldn’t have come out in this cold to suffer.
“You deliberately got caught? Have you gone mad?” The girl grabbed Lan Ling’er’s hand, forcing her to sit down, and whispered while looking around.
“You’re the ones who are crazy! Quiet, someone’s coming!” Faint footsteps approached the room.
Everyone held their breath, hearts racing.
The bearded man squatted on the ground, picked up a stick, and drew a big turtle in the snow, muttering to himself, “That bastard is calling me an idiot!”
“Hurry up and go!” He grabbed the bearded man and moved toward the voice. What an idiot!
“My little beauty, where are you running to?” Sha Laoda appeared behind Lan Ling’er, laughing eerily.
“Do you see me running? Beauty? Disgusting!” What a revolting face—truly a gang leader’s face!
“Aren’t you running? You were locked in the room just now, so why are you outside again?” What a cunning girl, even when caught, she’s still so tough.
It seems I’ve met my match.
“Really? Maybe I was just pulled out by someone! This place is so beautiful; even if you let me go, I wouldn’t want to leave.” Lan Ling’er turned back, smiled, but her heart was racing with worry for Ye Shan’s safety.
“Boss, I’ve caught another one!” The bearded man grabbed Ye Shan and threw her to the ground.
“Hey, be careful or lightning might strike you!” Lan Ling’er approached the bearded man and slapped him, venting her anger for Ye Shan.
“Ling’er!” The bearded man wasn’t someone to mess with. Before her anger subsided, he quickly pulled her aside to prevent retaliation.
“Boss, she hit me!” The bearded man looked aggrieved at Sha Laoda, seeking help.
“A few hits won’t hurt you. If you damage these two, we won’t earn a penny. For the money, just endure it!” Sha Laoda instructed, and the bearded man quickly quieted.
“Hey, you seem sensible. Let me tell you, if you touch us again, I’ll disfigure myself right in front of you!” Knowing his weakness, she threatened them. What could they do?
“Fine! But if you try to escape, I’ll kill you! By the way, my name isn’t Ai; it’s Sha Te.” Though unhappy about being threatened, he was willing to endure it for the sake of money.
After all, he was a real man!
